When it comes to wriggling out of jury duty, lawyers have heard it all

Lawyers talk about the best tales they’ve heard from jurors desperate not to serve. (For tips on how to talk your way on — or off — a jury, read our Q&A on jury duty.) When I first became a prosecutor in New Bedford, a potential juror said he couldn’t serve because he was going fishing. Not being from... More

What It’s Like Defending ‘The Guilty’: Thoughts From a Criminal Defense Attorney

I used to love to go to parties. Sadly, that all changed once I became a criminal defense attorney. Below is the conversation that I have at every shindig that I’ve attended over the last 10 or so years. * * * “So, what do you do for a living?” “I’m an attorney.” (Invariably dollar signs flash in my new acquaintance’s eyes, despite... More

Beautiful Lawyers (Seriously.)

Lawyers: they’re boring, stuffy, buttoned-up. At least that’s what people have always thought. But on Jan. 1, these same people just might change their minds. That’s when walls all over Massachusetts will be adorned with the first-ever “Beautiful Lawyers Calendar.” The brainchild of law-firm marketing director Howard A. Altholtz, a portion of proceeds... More

5 Things to Remember When You Get Pulled Over by a Cop

Positioned on a side street, the cruiser looms like the Imperial Death Star. Your nonchalant glance at the speedometer reveals 46 instead of the 30 that would have been so much better. Instantly, your mind debates the pros and cons of whether to brake or not, thinking that the lights might be seen as some type of admission of guilt and call even more... More

Want to know what’s in your FBI file?

By Kathleen Johnston Jarboe Wonder what that background check said? The FBI might know. Has anyone ever called you whose buddy once spoke on the phone with someone suspected of terrorism? Did you follow that? Even if you didn’t, the FBI might have. And you can ask. In fact, about 13,000 people do just that every year - they ask to see... More

Class of Their Own: Law of School

Labor Day. For many in Massachusetts it means one thing only: back to school to learn a lot of stuff, most of it useful, some not so much. But one thing they don’t teach you is that classrooms and lecture halls are governed by their own set of laws, and students, whatever their age or grade level, are subject to a different legal system than those on the “outside.” In order for a student to get justice, it helps to know how the system works. After all, knowledge is power - or so... More

Judge: Worker Can Look for New Job on Company Laptop

Here’s some good news for those in the market for a new job: You can’t get sued for using your company’s telephone or computer to plan your departure. An employer recently sued a former executive, claiming that he used a company-issued laptop to communicate with his new employer, which happened to be a competitor of his... More

Fair-minded register of deeds takes show on the road

Giant pumpkin contests, oxen-pulling competitions and beekeeping demonstrations aren’t the only highlights of this year’s Topsfield Fair. Southern Essex Register of Deeds John O’Brien says he’ll be front and center at the country’s oldest agricultural fair to remind homeowners who haven’t recorded a homestead on... More

Record bail set for the man once known as Rockefeller

From Lawyers Weekly correspondent David Frank: It may take the help of some resourceful friends, but if Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a.k.a. Clark Rockefeller, wants a shot at freedom, he can have it for a cool $50 million. Following his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court this morning, Gerhartsreiter, facing charges arising out of... More